SoftBank's running list of deals show it's the biggest, craziest investor in tech right now

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (R) waves with the company's human-like robots named 'pepper'.
REUTERS/Issei Kato
Japanese tech giant SoftBank is announcing funding rounds in the hundreds of millions on an almost daily basis at the moment.

The company — led by Masayoshi Son, Japan's richest man — is making investments through the SoftBank Group and the $93 billion (£71 billion) SoftBank Vision Fund.

It has backed or bought a host of established tech firms such as Nvidia, WeWork, and ARM. It's also backed less well-known startups like satellite internet firm OneWeb and farming startup Plenty. Most of the money has gone to companies in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Here's a running list of SoftBank's investments, in chronological order:

Ola - April 2017

Ola founders Ankit Bhati and Bhavesh Aggarwal
Ola

Ola is the biggest ride-hailing cab firm in India, though Uber's rival operations are catching up fast. Its service lets you book an auto-rickshaw, e-rickshaw, or shared shuttle, as well as your own private hire car.

Paytm - May 2017

An advertisement of Paytm, a digital wallet company, is pictured at a road side stall in Kolkata
Thomson Reuters

Paytm is India's biggest digital payments startup. It lets people buy anything from flights to gold using money deposited in their Paytm wallet, and the startup exploded after India killed its highest denominations in cash.

Founded 2010

Founders: Vijay Shekhar Shar

Size of Softbank's investment: $1.4 billion (£1 billion)

Total amount raised: Approximately $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion)

8/

Nvidia - May 2017

Nvidia CEO Jen Hsun-Huang
Wikimedia Commons

Nvidia is a US chip maker with its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.

Guardant Health - May 2017

Helmy Eltoukhy, CEO of Guardant Health
Guardant Health

Guardant Health is trying to simplify cancer testing, making a "liquid biopsy" test which takes blood samples from patients then sequences genetic information in the blood to work out the best way of treating a tumour.

Founded: 2013

Founders: Helmy Eltoukhy, AmirAli Hajhossein Talasaz

Size of SoftBank's investment: Led a $360 million (£273 million) round in May

Boston Dynamics - June 2017

Rob Price/BI

Boston Dynamics is a military robotics company. Google acquired the company in 2012, but sold it off to SoftBank in June. Boston Dynamics has made various terrifying-looking robots, including a wheeled robot that could jump and spin on demand.

Plenty - July 2017

Plenty is an indoor farming startup which tries to grow crops more cheaply and efficiently than in the field. Plants are grown vertically in towers, rather than rows, and Plenty claims it can grow 350 times more than conventional farms.

Founded: 2014

Founders: Nate Storey, Matt Barnard, Nate Mazonson

Size of the biggest funding round SoftBank has taken part in: $200 million (£152 million), led by SoftBank's Vision Fund

Total amount raised: $226 million (£172 million)

16/

Nauto - July 2017

Nauto

Automative tech startup Nauto uses a mix of AI, cameras, and sensors to improve driver safety and awareness. The startup believes its platform will inform and speed up the development of driverless cars.

Founded: 2015

Founders: Stefan Heck, Frederick Soo

Size of SoftBank's investment: Led a $159 million (£121 million) Series B round

Total raised: $159 million (£121 million)

17/

Grab - July 2017

Grab

Uber rival Grab is a taxi-hailing company that operates across South East Asia. It currently offers services in 65 cities across Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.